Roller blind system for a motor vehicle

ABSTRACT

A roller blind system for a vehicle roof includes a rotatable coiling body and a roller blind that is attached at one end to the coiling body and at the other end to a vehicle portion in a stationary manner. The coiling body is shiftable in a translational motion, allowing the roller blind to uncoil and coil up while minimizing frictional forces on the roller blind.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of German PatentApplication No. 102 56 599.6, filed Dec. 4, 2002.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The invention relates to a roller blind system, in particular fora motor vehicle, comprising a coiling body that is rotatable and aroller blind that is attached at one end to the coiling body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Various designs of roller blind systems for vehicles are known.German Published Patent Application 197 39 919, for example, discloses aroller blind system in which a coiling body is mounted at an edge of anopening in a vehicle roof. The roller blind may be withdrawn from thecoiling body so that the roller blind extends across the area of theopening to constitute a sunshade in this area. The roller blind islaterally guided by a pair of guide rails into which the longitudinaledges of the roller blind are inserted when the blind is withdrawn fromthe coiling body.

[0004] The disadvantage of this structure is that the forces foractuating the roller blind rise super-proportionally when the blind iswithdrawn from the coiling body. First, there is in fact an increase ina retracting force that is exerted on the coiling body by a retractingspring. Additionally, a frictional force is produced by friction betweenthe edges of the roller blind and the guide rails and increases as thewithdrawal length of the roller blind increases.

[0005] One object of the invention to further develop a roller blind ofthe type mentioned above that reduces the increase in the actuatingforces as an increasing amount of the roller blind is withdrawn.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention is directed to aroller blind system having one end secured to a coiling body and itsopposite end mounted to the vehicle so that it is stationary. Thecoiling body is adapted to be shifted by a translational motion. Thisroller blind system is based on the fundamental concept that thefriction between the guide rails and the roller blind occurring in priorart systems can be avoided by having the coiling body perform atranslational motion. As a result, the roller blind remains stationaryand is uncoiled across the area which it is intended to cover. Thisuncoiling is conducted instead of withdrawing the roller blind from thecoiling body, which would result in an even longer area of the rollerblind needing to be shifted.

[0007] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the systemmay include two guide rails that releasably connect two longitudinaledges of the roller blind. This allows the guide rails to receive theroller blind firmly at its edges in a manner similar to that known inthe prior art, with the roller blind in the roller blind systemaccording to the invention being stationarily connected with the guiderail at a multitude of points when the coiling body is moved in relationto the guide rail. In a particularly simple embodiment, the guide railand the associated longitudinal edge of the roller blind are providedwith two mating parts of a VELCRO® fastener. This allows stationaryattachment of the roller blind to the two guide rails when the coilingbody is moved along the guide rails.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, each longitudinaledge of the roller blind has a detent part that may be connected with acounterpart fitted to or integrated into the guide rail. Thelongitudinal edges of the roller blind are thus fitted to the guiderails with an interlocking fit when the coiling body moves along theguide rails.

[0009] The two guide rails may be configured so they are parallel toeach other to accommodate a rectangular roller blind. It is furtherpossible for the two guide rails to be disposed at a variable distancefrom each other and for the roller blind to have a variable width suchthat the two longitudinal edges of the roller blind follow the course ofthe guide rails. In this arrangement, the guide rails may extend in astraight line while being inclined with respect to each other or theyeach may be curved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention will now be described with reference to differentembodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a roller blind system inaccordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

[0012]FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a roller blind system inaccordance with a second embodiment of the invention;

[0013]FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a roller blind system inaccordance with a third embodiment of the invention;

[0014]FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic top view of a roller blind system inaccordance with the first embodiment;

[0015]FIG. 5 shows the section V-V of FIG. 4 on an enlarged scale; and

[0016]FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic sectional view of a variant of aroller blind system in accordance with the first embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0017]FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a roller blind system 10 having acoiling body 12 and a roller blind 14. One end of the roller blind 14 isfirmly secured to the coiling body 12 while the opposite end is mountedto the vehicle to be stationary. This stationary mounting surface issymbolized in FIG. 1 by a vehicle portion 16. The roller blind system 10is fitted below a roof 18 of a motor vehicle having a roof opening 20.The roof opening 20 may be closed by a cover (not shown) of a slidingroof system.

[0018] The coiling body 12 is usually accommodated within a cartridge(not shown) and may be shifted below the roof opening 20 by atranslational motion. When the coiling body 12 is shifted to the left inthe direction of the arrow P shown in FIG. 1, the roller blind 14extends beneath the roof opening 20 to form a sunshade.

[0019]FIG. 2 shows a roller blind system having two coiling bodies 12.One roller blind 14 is received on each coiling body 12, and the tworoller blinds 14 are connected to each other. In this example, the tworoller blinds 14 are fixedly secured to the vehicle portion 16 at thejuncture between the two blinds 14. The two coiling bodies 12 may beshifted in opposite directions to each other so that, for instance, afront roof opening and a rear roof opening of a vehicle roof may berespectively covered by the two roller blinds.

[0020]FIG. 3 shows a roller blind system which, similar to the rollerblind system shown in FIG. 2, comprises two roller blinds 14 that arereceived on two coiling bodies 12. Unlike the roller blind system ofFIG. 2, the roller blind system of FIG. 3 does not connect the tworoller blinds with each other. Instead, the two roller blinds 14 arerespectively connected to two opposing vehicle portions 16. The twoopposing coiling bodies 12 may be brought together toward the center sothat, for instance, a front and a rear roof opening may be respectivelycovered by the two roller blinds.

[0021]FIGS. 4 and 5 show a roller blind system corresponding to thestructure illustrated in FIG. 1. Like reference numerals are used forlike components described with respect to FIG. 1, and in this respectreference is made to the foregoing discussions.

[0022] The roller blind system includes two guide rails 22 that extendalong the longitudinal edges of the roof opening 20. At the top end inFIG. 4, the two guide rails 22 are connected by a crosspiece, whichcorresponds to the stationary vehicle portion 16 described above, whereone end of the roller blind 14 is fastened.

[0023] Each guide rail 22 has a guide groove 24 (FIG. 5) in which asliding carriage 26 is guided. An arbor 28 of the coiling body 12 isreceived in the sliding carriage 26. A pretensioning spring 30 connectedto the arbor 28 urges the coiling body 12 toward a base section 32 ofthe guide rail 22. The base section 32 has a counterpart, such as adetent web 34, formed thereon and having a dovetailed cross-section.

[0024] The roller blind 14 is received on the coiling body 12, with twothicknesses thereof being shown in this arrangement. Each longitudinaledge of the roller blind 14 is provided with a clip 36 (FIG. 5), whichmay be made of plastic and has an inside cross-section shaped to becomplementary to the dovetailed cross-section of the detent web 34. Theroller blind 14 may be molded into the clip 36, for example. Thematerial of the clip 36 is flexible so that the roller blind, along withthe two clips, may be received at its longitudinal edges on the coilingbody 12.

[0025] When the coiling body is shifted downward in regard to FIG. 4 andalong the guide rails 22, the roller blind 14 is uncoiled from thecoiling body 12 which, assisted by the pretensioning spring 30, pressesthe clip 36 onto the detent web 34 so that the clip 36 is graduallylocked into place on the detent web 34 with an interlocking fit. Thisresults in reliable lateral guidance of the roller blind 14 in the areabetween the coiling body 12 and the vehicle portion 16.

[0026] Note that any other suitable detent mechanism may be used insteadof the interlocking clip 36 and detent web 34. The detent mechanism maybe any mechanism made up of a detent part and a counterpart adapted tobe releasably connected with each other when the coiling body is movedalong the two guide rails 22 without departing from the scope of theinvention.

[0027]FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment that differs from theembodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with respect to the way the rollerblind 14 is connected with, and released again from, the guide rail.

[0028] In this embodiment, the coiling body 12 is mounted on the slidingcarriage 26 to be non-displaceable. In this embodiment, the slidingcarriage 26 is a cartridge having the roller blind 14 received thereinand includes a pressure slider 38 that is elastically pretensioned sothat it rests on the detent web 34 with a certain degree of pretension.The roller blind 14 or the clip 36 in this embodiment may be locatedbetween the pressure slider 38 and the detent web 34. The slidingcarriage 26 further includes a release slider 40 arranged between theroller blind 14 or the clip 36 fitted thereto and the detent web 34. Theroller blind 14 accordingly exits the cartridge between the pressureslider 38 and the release slider 40.

[0029] When the sliding carriage 22 is shifted such that the rollerblind 14 is withdrawn from the cartridge, the pressure slider 38 pressesthe clip 36 onto the detent web 34 so that it is locked in place. Whenthe sliding carriage is shifted in the opposite direction so that theroller blind 14 is received on the coiling body 12, the release slider40 will move between the clip 36 and the detent web 34 so that theroller blind is released from the guide rail 22 to be coiled up.

[0030] It should be understood that various alternatives to theembodiments of the invention described herein may be employed inpracticing the invention. It is intended that the following claimsdefine the scope of the invention and that the method and apparatuswithin the scope of these claims and their equivalents be coveredthereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roller blind system for a motor vehicle,comprising: a rotatable coiling body that is shiftable by atranslational motion; and a roller blind attached at a first end to thecoiling body and stationarily mounted at a second end to a vehicleportion.
 2. The roller blind system as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising two guide rails that guide two longitudinal edges of theroller blind.
 3. The roller blind system as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe coiling body is guided by the two guide rails.
 4. The roller blindsystem as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two guide rails are parallelto each other and the roller blind is rectangular.
 5. The roller blindsystem as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two guide rails are arrangedat a variable distance from each other, and wherein the roller blind hasa variable width such that the two longitudinal edges follow the guiderails.
 6. The roller blind system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the twolongitudinal edges are releasably connected to the two guide rails. 7.The roller blind system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: adetent part disposed on each longitudinal edge of the roller blind; andcounterpart that is complementary to the detent part and fitted to theguide rail such that the detent part connects with the counterpart whenthe coiling body is shifted.
 8. The roller blind system as claimed inclaim 7, further comprising a pretensioning mechanism that urges thecoiling body against the counterpart.
 9. The roller blind system asclaimed in claim 6, further comprising a cartridge that receives theroller blind, the cartridge having a pressure slider that locks theroller blind with the guide rail and a release slider that releases theroller blind from the guide rail.
 10. The roller blind system as claimedin claim 1, further comprising a second coiling body and a second rollerblind, wherein the coiling body and second coiling body are movable inopposite directions.
 11. The roller blind system as claimed in claim 10,wherein the roller blind and second roller blind are connected to thesame vehicle portion and wherein the coiling body and second coilingbody are movable away from each other to extend the roller blind andsecond roller blind.
 12. The roller blind system as claimed in claim 10,wherein the roller blind and second roller blind are connected toopposing vehicle portions and wherein the coiling body and secondcoiling body are movable toward each other to extend the roller blindand second roller blind.
 13. A vehicle roof assembly, comprising: avehicle roof having a roof opening; a rotatable coiling body that isshiftable by a translational motion in a vicinity of the roof opening; aroller blind attached at a first end to the coiling body andstationarily mounted at a second end to a vehicle portion, wherein theroller blind opens and closes the roof opening; and two guide rails thatguide the coiling body and two longitudinal edges of the roller blind.14. The vehicle roof assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the twoguide rails are parallel to each other and the roller blind isrectangular.
 15. The vehicle roof assembly as claimed in claim 13,wherein the two guide rails are arranged at a variable distance fromeach other, and wherein the roller blind has a variable width such thatthe two longitudinal edges follow the course of the guide rails.
 16. Thevehicle roof assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the twolongitudinal edges are releasably connected to the two guide rails. 17.The vehicle roof assembly as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: adetent part disposed on each longitudinal edge of the roller blind; anda counterpart that is complementary to the detent part and fitted to theguide rail such that the detent part connects with the counterpart whenthe coiling body is shifted.
 18. The vehicle roof assembly as claimed inclaim 17, further comprising a pretensioning mechanism that urges thecoiling body against the counterpart.
 19. The vehicle roof assembly asclaimed in claim 13, further comprising a cartridge that receives theroller blind, the cartridge having a pressure slider that locks theroller blind with the guide rail and a release slider that releases theroller blind from the guide rail.
 20. The vehicle roof assembly asclaimed in claim 13, further comprising a second coiling body and asecond roller blind, wherein the coiling body and second coiling bodyare movable in opposite directions.
 21. The vehicle roof assembly asclaimed in claim 20, wherein the roller blind and second roller blindare connected to the same vehicle portion and wherein the coiling bodyand second coiling body are movable away from each other to extend theroller blind and second roller blind.
 22. The vehicle roof assembly asclaimed in claim 20, wherein the roller blind and second roller blindare connected to opposing vehicle portions and wherein the coiling bodyand second coiling body are movable toward each other to extend theroller blind and second roller blind.
 23. The vehicle roof assembly asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the vehicle portion is a crosspiececonnecting the two guide rails.